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4A Daily News – Friday, April 13, 2012 Opinion DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer's home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 It's addenda (duh) It's been somewhat obligatory to write this week's column on the topic of how hectic the newsroom gets during the week of Round-Up — 11 days worth, promoters will argue. We'll be scrambling until the last bronc bucks next Sunday afternoon. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy a little word sleuthing. *** Ours is an inexact craft and there are few if any hard and fast rules. As I read the story the ghost of my high school Latin teacher, Mrs. Fontenrose, spoke up and told me addenda is the plural of adden- dum. I made the change and con- tinued reading. Curiosity kicked in, though, and I decided to look it up. But first I went and changed it back to addendums. Our Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged Second Edtion-Deluxe Color agrees with Mrs. Fontenrose. Makes sense, as it was published the word "addendums" in the April 5 story about the proposed Walmart Supercenter. Some of you may have spotted the year before I began Latin stud- ies as a freshman. what everyone else is doing and searched for an answer on the Internet. What I found only added to the confusion. Wikipedia — a site that allows users to add information to articles — was firm. OK, so it was as firm as a source that allows anyone to write anything can be. It said definitively that the plural form is addenda. But this is qualified by a note saying "(Citation needed)," meaning somebody added it, but didn't cite a source for the infor- mation. It is the 21st Century, so I did Dictionary.com is quite specif- ic, saying the plural form depends upon the intended use of the word. Addendum can mean a thing to be added, an appendix to writing and "the radial distance between the tip of a gear tooth and the pitch circle of a gear or the pitch line of a rack" when speaking of machinery. Addenda is the correct form when referring to the first two defini- tions, addendums when referring to the third. Thefreedictionary.com, which seems an odd title because I have yet to find an online dic- tionary that charges for use, says addenda is the correct form for all defi- nitions — as does oxforddictionaries.com. Vocabulary.com agrees with the latter, going so far to state "Fun fact: the plural of adden- dum is addenda." not validate those mis- uses. So why did addendums show up in the story? I got to dig- ging for so long, I for- got to go back and change it. *** This initial query suggests Mrs. Fontenrose's ghost, which I mean figurative- ly even though she seemed quite old 32 years ago, was correct. Addenda it is. Like anything else online, though, the answer you get depends greatly on the question you ask. Doing a search for "addendums," for example, turns up a slew of uses on perfectly legitimate and official sites, including those pertaining to real estate, legal advice and finan- cial planning. Maybe it's accepted as common usage? The evidence leans heavily toward addenda being the correct usage — oft repeated misuses do Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. umn began as an addi- tion tacked onto last week's effort. By the time I got into it, the length was surpassing that of the original piece, so I put it aside to run on its own. Adden- dum no more. *** Fittingly, this col- tempted to submit addenda for consideration in his Redneck Dic- tionary. The following is just one example: "The dog chased that squirrel into the pasture, addenda horses just went nuts." That's why I'm no comedian. email at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Pride and prejudice Commentary avoid open ladders and black cats. And to be on the safe side, whereas we welcome back to our fair city C. Larimer aka The Word Merchant, we shall not allow him to cast an evil eye upon us. Not that he has one such. More likely he will treat us benevolently as before and cast asper- sions only where aspersions are due. He, and his missus, Betsy, will be setting up shop some- where within city limits. Look for some weath- ered bloke wearing a Texas tan and possibly limping from a recent horse encounter. *** Years ago, James Lipton was interlocutor of the popular TV program "Inside the Actor's Studio" in which he asked his guests a set of questions, one being "What is your least favorite word?" Mine would be the word "stu- pid." It is a word to be used sparingly but not to be excluded from one's vocabulary. It is a kin to "ignorant" and its use is as demeaning as one person can invoke on another. Even if the recip- ient considers himself non-violent, he would be forgiven for taking up a ball bat and braining a person who attempted to lay that moniker on him. However, whom can we accurately describe as "stupid?" I nominate the would–be- martyr terrorist…the one that walks into a crowd of women and children and blows him- self/herself and the innocent victims to smithereens. We could flower out the title to read "stupid and ignorant bastard." That should do it. It is unlikely you will see such a descrip- tion in the news. Mores the pity. *** On this Friday the 13th, we take caution and author poised to sign yet another copy. He is looking his age, but you will note no shawl about his shoulders. *** Book connoisseurs alert. The second print- ing of "The Knocking Pen" is now available at our office at 760 Main St. This new and improved model has an additional photo inside and one more on the back cover showing the Our editor, apparently at the request of read- ers, is no longer doing his clever altering of headlines to syndicated columns. I am sorry to see this. The addition of "grabber" headlines can be a joy to relish. Take one witty writer, for example, who headlined his story on the unlike- lihood of French Minister Nicolas Sarkozy being re-elected, His article read,"French Toast." *** And speaking of books, Ellington Peek published an interesting book, regarding his life in the livestock auc- tion business, at the same time as I published mine. Pity he did not read mine first for he might have altered what he wrote about the demise of our meat plant. He spoke of the bankruptcy of Minch. There was no Minch bankruptcy. The bankruptcy was of Messina Meats, the successor to Minch's Wholesale Meats. And he wrote "Old Mr. Minch, when he started years ago, was always reliable." I guess he forgot my father's first name. It was Dave. As to "when he started years ago was always reliable," I'm cer- tain Ellington meant "…was always reliable, period." He continued, "When he passed on, his boy took over…wanted to expand and do a lot of things." I was 35 at the time of father's death in 1964, and no longer a "boy." "Son" is the word he was searching for. And expand I did, with zeal; a new kill floor, boning room, loading docks and freezer. It seemed necessary to mod- ernize to keep up with the midwest competition. But rather than whip this dead horse (to mix metaphors) E. Peek was right about one of his statements when speaking of the bankruptcy: "Everybody had to take the loss and it was a big loss." I continue to live to this day with this ignominy. *** P.D. James has been one of my favorite writ- ers of mysteries for many years, but her latest "Death Comes To Pemberley" is totally exas- perating. She has chosen to "draw upon the characters in Jane Austen's beloved novel 'Pride and Prejudice'" 'til hell wouldn't have it. What was she thinking? For nearly three quar- ters of the novel she dances about with the flow- ery language of the early 1800s in England making every character of the aristocracy a dithering bore. As Lerner and Lowe had Eliza Doolittle put it, "Words, words…I'm sick of words…is that all you blighters can do?" Tsk, tsk. *** Robert Minch I Say Are you surprised to learn that the recent crop of lawyers is having a tough time making ends meet? Once prominent firms are withering, jobs are drying up and the median salary for lawyers is currently only $63,000 versus $72,000 a year ago. Not worth an ambu- lance chase. *** Finally, fans of Jeff Foxworthy may be Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 or by ident of the state of Israel, is Lauren Bacall, that Peres fathered the Oslo Peace Accord and that George Crum invented the potato chip. This week's quiz: What company first came out with the cellular phone and when, and who replied, when asked why he should earn more than the President of the United States, "Why not? I had a better year"? *** Last week's quiz was first answered by J. Angelo who knew that the blonde actress related to Shimon Peres, pres- Doing my physical, my doctor asked me about my daily activity level and I described a typical day as follows: "Well, yesterday I wadded along the edge of a lake, escaped from wild dogs in heavy brush, marched up and down several rocky hills, stood in a patch of poison ivy, crawled out of a muddy marsh, climbed under several evergreen trees and jumped away from an aggressive rattlesnake. " Inspired by my story, the doctor said, "You must be some outdoorsman!" "On the contrary," I replied, "I am just a very poor golfer." Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com.